Arguments For and Against the Existence of God

This is a summary from Wikipedia of Arguments For or Against the Existence of God intended for people who are searching the secular point of view. For the complete article click here. While this is not specifically arguments for and against the Christian God, it is mostly on that concept. That is understandable since even people like premier atheist Richard Dawkins consider God to almost exclusively be the God of Christianity and points many of his objections at Christianity.

“Arguments for and against the existence of God have been proposed by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and others for thousands of years. In philosophical terms, such arguments involve primarily the disciplines of epistemology (the nature and scope of knowledge) and ontology (study of the nature of being, existence, or reality) and also the theory of value, since concepts of perfection are connected to notions of God. A wide variety of arguments exist which can be categorized as metaphysical, logical, empirical, or subjective. The existence of God is subject to lively debate in philosophy, the philosophy of religion, and popular culture.

The Western tradition of philosophical discussion of the existence of God began with Plato and Aristotle, who made arguments that would now be categorized as cosmological. Other arguments for the existence of God have been proposed by St. Anselm, who formulated the first ontological argument; Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Aquinas, who presented their own versions of the cosmological argument (the kalam argument and the first way, respectively); Descartes, who said that the existence of a benevolent God was logically necessary for the evidence of the senses to be meaningful; and Immanuel Kant, who argued that the existence of God can be deduced from the existence of good. Thinkers who have provided arguments against the existence of God include David Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, and Bertrand Russell. In modern culture, the question of God’s existence has been discussed by scientists such as Stephen Hawking, Francis Collins, Richard Dawkins, and John Lennox, as well as philosophers including Richard Swinburne, Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, Daniel Dennett, Edward Feser, and David Bentley Hart.

Atheism views arguments for the existence of God as insufficient, mistaken or weighing less in comparison to arguments against. Fideists acknowledge that belief in the existence of God may not be amenable to demonstration or refutation, but rests on faith alone. The Catholic Church maintains that knowledge of the existence of God is the “natural light of human reason”. Other religions, such as Buddhism, do not concern themselves with the existence of gods at all.”

Outside of personal experience, there are reasons to believe in God at least as much as there are reasons not to believe in God. Logically, neither position is an obvious slam dunk for their view, despite what proponents would say. Certainly, science doesn’t give an answer one way or the other. It requires an open mind to fairly consider each side. In our opinionated society, it is natural to unconsciously make judgments based on people or ideas that you think represent a side, but which may in reality be poor representations of that side. Try to let go of those preconceptions and consider the different core ideas.

Certainly, belief in God does not mean that you have to endorse Christianity nor all of the cultural traditions, practices, or aspects of the Christianity you are aware of - just as supporting science does not mean that you have to endorse beliefs of some scientists which are more opinions than true science. While there is a wide range of beliefs and practices of Christians or Christian groups, the key core essence is found in things like the Nicene and Apostles Creed.

Our search for truth has led us to believe that the existence of God and the essence of Christian faith is true. Millions of people have come to that belief once they have experienced the reality of God in a personal way. To be sure, many people who claim Christian faith may be more influenced by tradition or peer pressure and have not experienced God personally.

If you are at this site, you probably have some interest in discovering ways for yourself how true science and true faith can interact. We hope this website will help you find a more accurate basis from which to form your own belief.

Logic can only take you so far. Sooner or later, you have to be open to the spiritual aspect of all of us. The key is to have a truly open mind and spirit, not clouded by preconceptions or excess belief in yourself or others you know. Many people who are truly open eventually find - sometimes through deeply difficult periods in our life - where we can experience the personal reality of God. This includes many who claim they are Christian but so far haven't deeply experienced the God of Christianity in their lives.